Beginning of the year, my skin was angry – I had little bumps all over my cheeks and jaw line and pimples kept popping out. I sort of figured out why, it’s me – being greedy. I layered over 8 products on my face – I know layering of products is common and it seems to work wonders on some people but sadly, not for me. I have friends who layer 3-4 serums per night and their skin looks perfectly flawless.

My skin felt extremely vulnerable during this period of time. Red, sensitive and easily irritated. But I am glad that it’s all over now (touch-wood). I went for some simple treatments and cut down on the amount of products. And I stick to a particular brand/range instead of mixing and matching what’s in my drawer.

Many of you have emailed me regarding the treatments I do, I will do another post on that in time to come.

Whenever I fill up skincare profiles over the counter or whenever people ask what are my main concerns, I am always stuck. Still being greedy, my main concern is everything – from pores to eye bags. I want to have skin like my little niece but we all know that it’s impossible.

I don’t naturally have good skin, I must work hard and keep to a strict routine in order to maintain my skin’s current condition – not great but with a bit of makeup, I am able to achieve/fake flawless looking skin. This year, I am trying to stay focus, work on my skin’s texture and skin tone.

I have also included a few anti-aging items because it’s about time – we start aging from 25 and in fact, I think I am a little late.

After the incident earlier this year, my skin is more sensitive so I am more careful when choosing my products. I am not very good with ingredients so I wouldn’t be able to aid in that department but I shall share my experiences with the following items in my current routine.

MAKEUP REMOVERS

I have a bunch of makeup removers at home and I rotate amongst many – I open up makeup removers as soon as I got them because I am always eager to see how it performs. Unlike skincare, I go through bottles of makeup removers every other month. I use a lot of makeup removers as compared to the pea size amount of skincare I apply on my face.

I am also very particular about removing makeup. I triple cleanse to make sure no traces of makeup is left behind. It may sound harsh to the skin but the removers I use are relatively gentle. I feel that if I take time to apply makeup on myself every day, I must double to effort to remove them at night.

Out of all the makeup removers I am rotating at the moment, I enjoy the following most.

EYES & LIPS
I use the following to remove my eye and lip makeup whenever I have heavier makeup on.

• Bioderma Sensibio H2O [S$TBA for 500ml, mad in France]
  One of the best cleansing water I have tried – it feels like water leaving no residue or sticky feeling after cleansing. It’s efficient yet gentle – perfect for the delicate eye area. Removes eyeliners, mascara and eye lash glue easily. I don’t think the 500ml bottle is available in Singapore – I got it from Hong Kong.
• Make Up For Ever SENS’EYES [S$39 for 100ml, made in France]
  Whenever I have slightly heavier eye makeup on, I turn to this remover – especially when I have waterproof makeup on or long-lasting eyeliners etc.

ALL ROUNDER
On day-to-day basis, I don’t usually wear heavy makeup. I skip using the removers above and use either one of the following cleansing oils for my entire face, including eyes and lips.

• FANCL Mild Cleansing Oil [S$33 for 120ml, made in Japan]
  One of my all time favourite cleansing oil. It’s affordable and does a great job removing makeup. The consistency is slightly thicker than Shu Uemura’s but the cleansing method is similar. I prefer using this when I have foundation on.
• Shu Uemura Whitefficient Clear Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil* [S$68 for 150ml, made in Japan]
  I have finished this bottle of cleanser last month, click here to read more about my thoughts.
• Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil* [S$65 for 150ml, made in Japan]
  Love the smell of this cleansing oil. It feels similar to Whitefficient but smells better. I am about to finish this bottle too.

CLEANSERS

• Clarins Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream [S$60 for 200ml, made in France]
  The favourite cream cleanser I have tried so far. After removing makeup with the above product(s), I use this cleansing cream. I apply a generous amount onto my skin and massage in circular motions to remove any left over makeup. Love the smell. This cream cleanser is thick and firm unlike others I have tried which I find a little too watery for my liking.
• Dr GL® Cleanser Sensitive [S$128 for 240ml, made in Japan]
  After all the cleansing and removal of makeup, the last thing I need is a harsh cleanser. For that, I have been using this Dr GL® cleanser for sensitive skin. It foams up ever-so-slightly, very, very gentle on the skin. Skin feels clean and supple.

COMBINATIONS

For post-facial skin;

When my skin is red, prone to break-out and more sensitive. This Dr GL® range of products help calm my skin’s redness – repair and treat both old and new scars. After having a facial, I usually go straight home – I also avoid putting on makeup on the same day.

• Dr GL® Toner Sensitive [S$108 for 240ml, made in Korea]
• Dr GL® Collagen Essence [S$198 for 30ml, made in Japan]
• Dr GL® Skin Repair [S$98 for 10ml, made in Singapore]

For smoother, younger looking skin;

When my skin needs a little push, this is the range I go for – together, they refine my skin’s texture and restore youthfulness. My skin appears smoother, more plump the very next day with less visible pores. I love the NeoCalm toner, it helps hydrate my skin. I use an emulsion instead of a night cream because it feels less heavy and I think it works.

• Lancôme Acti-Lotion NeoCalm™ Multi-Relief Anti-Stress Nourishing Cream-Water (Very Moist) [S$80 for 200ml, made in Japan]
• Lancôme Génifique Youth Activator* [S$130 for 30ml, made in France]
• Lancôme Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector [S$135 for 30ml, made in France]
• Lancôme Visionnaire Pre-Correcting Advanced Emulsion [S$118 for 75ml, made in France]

For brighter, more radiant skin;

Although I have only started exploring Clarins skincare in recent years, I have fallen in love with them – I found several gems that really worked for me. When my skin lacks radiance and look dull, I turn to this range – the next morning, my skin looks nice and fresh, smooth and radiant.

This whitening serum helps maintain brightness and keeps spots under control – for those whose main concern is dark spots, you may need to find a stronger alternative. For those who doesn’t wish to change your entire skincare regime, I would highly recommend you to start with the whitening serum and emulsion/night cream. I think these 2 items are essential amongst the range.

• Clarins White Plus | HP Whitening Pure Aqua-Lotion [S$65 for 200ml, made in France]
• Clarins White Plus | HP Gentle Renewing Brightening Peel [S$65 for 125ml, made in France]
• Clarins White Plus | HP Intensive Whitening Smoothing Serum* [S$130 for 30ml, made in France]
• Clarins White Plus | HP Whitening Velvet Emulsion* [S$92 for 75ml, made in France]
• Clarins White Plus | HP Whitening Repairing Night Cream [S$110 for 50ml, made in France]

EYES

I started eye care very late. It’s never too late to start but if you can, start as early as possible to avoid fine lines etc. Eyes can tell one’s age and I agree with that. Some people can be young but have many fine lines under their eyes and some people can be older than myself but have very plump and smooth eye area.

My eye area is quite sensitive, I cannot apply any products that’s too rich if not I will have a pimple the next day so I try to avoid thick, rich creams.

Some times, I find it really difficult to describe how an eye cream has worked on me. If an eye cream doesn’t cause break outs, smooths out my fine lines and hydrates my under eye area – I think it’s pretty good. I don’t suffer from very bad dark circles so I am not using anything for that at the moment.

• Dior Capture Totale Eyes Essential Eye Zone Boosting Super Serum [S$110 for 15ml, made in France]
  An absolute must-have for me as I think it really helps the next eye product to penetrate and work more efficiently. At the beginning, I didn’t think much of this serum but when I paired it with other eye creams, the results appeared more distinct.
• Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye [S$72 for 15ml, made in USA]
  One such example is with this Kiehl’s eye cream. When I used it alone, the results very minimal but when I paired it with Dior Eyes Essential, the results is easily 1.5 times better. I am impressed.
• Lancôme Génifique Yeux Youth Activating Eye Concentrate [S$98 for 15ml, made in France]
  This Lancôme Génifique Yeux is the richest amongst the others on the list but it feels light, has a silky texture to it – glides on very nicely and I didn’t experience any break outs from it. It has a powdery finish with feels really luxe.
  

SERUMS

• Clarins Shaping Facial Lift* [S$102 for 50ml, made in France]

NECK

I started caring for my neck even later than my eyes. I am not sure if it’s an absolute must to have separate neck care products – you can always bring whatever skincare you apply on your face down to your neck area. But to me, it feels more complete. I am already spending so much effort on my face, by adding 1 more product to my neck won’t hurt, right?

It took me quite some time to think before buying La Prairie because it is really expensive. I finally bought it during one of the Isetan sale earlier this year – I think I had 20% off, so that’s not too bad.

I only use either one of the following items at a time.

• Jurlique Herbal Recovery Neck Serum [S$140 for 30ml, made in Australia]
• La Prairie Anti-Aging Neck Cream [S$330 for 50ml, made in Switzerland]
  Love the smell. One of the most expensive creams I have purchased – feels ultra luxe on the skin.

OCCASIONAL TREATS

I like to take skincare breaks once in a while and when I do so, I will apply only one of the following products as a treat. I feel that it’s like feeding my skin with chocolate (it feels extremely good – an indulgence) and my skin feels nice and rejuvenated the next morning.

Some of these items are oil and is rich, using it every day will be too much for me. I also enjoy using the Clarins Treatment Oils under my mask.

• Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate* [S$90 for 30ml, made in USA]
• Laneíge Water Sleeping Pack EX* [S$45 for 80ml, made in Korea]
• Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Treatment [S$TBA for 120ml, made in Korea]
• Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil [S$65 for 30ml, made in France]
• Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil* [S$65 for 30ml, made in France]

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Many of us are guilty of buying products we like but not what our skin really needs – me too, I am always eager to try new products which can be bad a lot of the time. But I believe as time goes by, our skin’s need differs, our concerns change and our lifestyle might have changed thus switching skincare products is unavoidable.

Please understand that what works for me may not necessarily work for you. I am only sharing my night time regime, the combination/products I use and my experiences with them for those who are interested to know.

I reckon I will be finishing most of these items in a month or two. I have been using most of these for about a year now and am happy with them. Whenever I have finished the items and start a new routine, I will post an update – there are also a few products I am currently trying and I can’t wait to start on the NARS Skin everyone is raving about.

How does your night time regime look like? Are there any must-have products on your list?

Thank you for taking your time to read such a long and wordy post. Last but not least, as I always say, listen to your skin. Don’t rush for results, results don’t happen overnight. Be patient and give the products and your skin a few months – they need to get to know each other first right?

Have a great day ahead.